Race track construction



March 11, 1958 W. T. LEATHERBURY RACE TRACK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed Sept. 21, 1956 ME- VFLPEHFH: v.5 m: v .Q

R m E V m TA YLOR LEATHERBURY ATTORNEYS March 11, 1958 w T. LEATHERBURY 2,826,414

RACE TRACK CONSTRUCTION 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed Sept. 21. 1956 United States Patent '0 M RACE TRACK CONSTRUCTION William Taylor Leatherbury, Shady Side, Md.

Application September 21, 1956, Serial No. 611,201

6 Claims. (Cl. 272-) The present application relates broadly to race tracks and more specifically to trotting tracks.

In trotting races particularly, the trotter in the lead, coming around the final turn into the home stretch, has a very definite advantage over trotters following in that as all participants approach the finish line around the last turn an attempt or bid to take first place requires gaining several extra lengths to go around the leader. This is a source of great irritation to most owners, participants and to the public as well.

Additionally, as the trotters make the bid there is serious danger of accident due to the close area within which to maneuver, without the consequent loss of considerable ground.

It also sometimes occurs that a racer, unless in the lead or close to the lead when coming around the final turn, will actually hold back to lower his horses rating in subsequent races.

It is a principal object of the present invention to provide a race track construction in which a portion of the rail near the locus of the finish line is movable with respect to its normal fixed position, and can be moved to provide a widened home stretch so arranged as to permit seconds and thirds in a race approaching the turn to make a worthwhile bid for first place as they approach the finish line in the straight home stretch.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a race track structure in which the home stretch area can be selectively widened along its entire path for the finish of a race, and wherein the normal width is used for starting.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a trotting course construction of this nature in which the means permitting widening of the home stretch are of simple and inexpensive structure, and which can easily be adapted to existing race tracks.

Other and further objects and advantages of the present invention will be more readily apparent from the following etailed description of a preferred embodiment thereof when taken together with the accompanying drawings in which:

Fig. 1 is a plan view of an oval track and grandstand showing parallel railing with spaced cantilever supports along the infield rail in the home stretch, the infield rail being in retracted position in dotted lines;

Fig. 2 is a fragmentary enlarged plan View of an infield railing showing support and control mechanisms therefor;

Fig. 3 is an elevational view of cantilever support means for the infield rail, and including drive means for rotational movement thereof;

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary elevational view of a hinge connection between a rail and its supporting arm;

Fig. 5 is a fragmentary elevational view of a slip joint utilized in the invention;

Fig. 6 is a sectional view taken on line 66 of Fig. 5; and

Fig. 7 is a sectional view taken on line 7-7 of Fig. 5.

In the following description like numerals are applied to similar parts throughout the several views of the drawings.

The running oval generally designated 1 includes curved ends 2 and 3 as also a straight back stretch 3 and a straight home stretch 4 all defined by spaced parallel rails, 5 and 6. Rails 5 and 6 can be supported in any desired manner, and by any suitable means.

The infield rail 5, along the straight home stretch 4, is anchored at its upper end to a fixed post 8 and at its far end to a fixed post 9 positioned at a point well inside the first turn of the track.

Between the fixed posts 8 and 9 there is arranged a movable rail section 1%) which is secured to spaced cantilever supports 11 through the medium of terminal hinges 12. The cantilever supports 11 are rotatably mounted on vertical shafts 16 so that they may be arcuately swung as indicated by dotted lines and arrows in Figs. 1 and 2. One of the cantilever supports, preferably a relatively central one, includes a drive mechanism 17 such, for example only, as an electric motor 18 and properly associated ring and pinion gears 19. By means of the drive mechanism 17, the several cantilever supports may be driven simultaneously to laterally shift the movable rail portion it} carried thereby into the infield as shown in Figs. 1 and 2.

Continuity of the rail is desirable, and as a matter of fact necessary, to prevent dangerous gaps when the rail is displaced laterally so as to widen the home stretch. This is made possible by means of telescopic joints 20 arranged in proximity to each end of the movable rail section The telescoping joints 20 include a leaf hinge 24, one end of which is secured as by rivets 25, screws, or the like, to the end of the fixed rail section 5. The other wing of the hinge 24 has secured thereto a sliding plate 27 shaped to conform to the rail 10 and including terminal clips 29 serving to retain the rail 10. As the cantilever supports 11 rotate or revolve in the direction of the arrows, the rail 10 Will slide in the plate 27 so that the rail will remain continuous and unbroken even though the rail sections, due to the hinge, are ottset as at the right hand side of Fig. 2 of the drawings.

At the other end of the movable rail section a similar hinge and sliding plate can be utilized if desired or the rail, having flexibility, will bend and remain continuous. in some applications an offset in the rail can be utilized at this point of juncture to insure the rail having no outstanding projections in the direction of movement of the participants.

Likewise instead of the rail flexing as it is brought into retracted position, the individual sections between the cantilever supports 11 at the curved end at the end of the home stretch can be hingedly connected to one another and when brought into retracted position will form a substantially straight rail due to the small amount of curvature of the individual rail sections, so pivotally interconnected.

As an example only, in a one-half mile track of usual proportions, it is desired to increase the Width of the track by approximately 16 feet. This can be accom plished by mounting the rail on 18 ft. cantilever supports which when revolved through approximately will move the movable rail section approximately 16 feet inwardly from its original position. As pointed out hereinbefore it is necessary and desirable to eliminate projections for which reasons the telescoping joints overlap in the direction of racing. The rail can, of course, be returned to its original position by reversing the direction of rotation of motor 18.

In lieu of using a cantilever suspension as described Patented Mar. 11, 1958 in detail above, the same could be effected by the use of hydraulic pistons which would advance and retract from fixed cylinders. Another manner in which the movable feature could be obtained is by mounting the fence on tracks and the fence would move in and out on trolley wheels or the like. The fence could also be mounted on rubber tires and the fence could then'be moved in a manner similar to the fence mounted on tracks. Another manner of accomplishing the same end result would be a cantilever mounting having jackkn-ife operation and in which the cantilever beam would be hinged in the middle.

Manifestly minor changes in details of construction can be effected in the invention without departing from the spirit and scope thereof as defined by and limited solely in the appended claims.

I claim:

1. In a conventional race track construction having two curved ends and straight home stretch and straight back stretch interconnecting said curved ends, an outer rail and a modified movable inner rail defining the track,

a portion of the inner rail extending into and between the turns in the home stretch being selectively movable laterally inwardly toward the inner rail of the back stretch said portion being flexibly interconnected to the home-stretch turns to substantially increase the width of the track of the home stretch and motive means engaging the inner rail portion for mobility thereof.

2. In a race track construction as claimed in claim 1, a plurality of swingably mounted supports hingedly engaging and supporting said movable rail portion in a plurality of longitudinally spaced positions, whereby" upon simultaneous swinging of all said supports the movable rail portion moves inwardly in parallel relation to said outer rail,

3. in a race track construction as claimed in claim 2, said supports comprising cantilever beams.

4. In a race track construction as claimed in claim 1, slip hinge joints connected to and engaging contiguous rail portions at the juncture of the fixed and movable sections thereof to provide a continuous rail.

5. In a race track construction as claimed in claim 4, said slip joints overlapping in the direction of racing to eliminate outstanding projections in said rail.

6. In a race track construction as claimed in claim I, that section of the movable rail portion entering the curve at the far end of the home stretch comprising a plurality of separate sections, a plurality of swingable supports hingedly connected to contiguous ends of said sections whereby upon swinging of said supports, each of said sections will move independently of the next section with respect to the original curvature of fence and form a substantially straight fence when in retracted position.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,634,326 Jennings July 5, 1927 

